Indy delivers few laughs amid awesome action

In theaters

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, directed by Steven Spielberg, written by David Koepp, 120 minutes, rated PG-13.

In Hollywood as in life, seeing an old friend after a time apart can go one of two ways: You’re either happy to see the person again, or you realize there’s a reason you stopped seeing the friend in the first place.

As for Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” it’s nice to welcome back this particular friend, even if he doesn’t have the spunk he did when we last saw him 19 years ago.

But who among us does?

From David Koepp’s script, “Crystal Skull” is the continuation of a franchise that began in 1981 with one of the best action-adventure films of all time, “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Two sequels followed – 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and 1989’s particularly good “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” a light, frothy ride lifted immeasurably by Sean Connery as Indy’s no-nonsense father.

In the new movie, you can’t help but feel the weight resting on Spielberg’s shoulders – he had the task of competing with his own iconic lineage. Sometimes, he successfully rises to that challenge, particularly in several well-staged action sequences, the best of which involve a massive army of man-eating ants and another scene that takes us on a terrific, extended chase through a South American jungle.

But what’s missing here is much of the wry humor you expect from the series. With few exceptions, it’s oddly absent, with the audience at my packed screening not letting loose the way they did back in the days when Indy (Harrison Ford) was as quick with a quip as he was with the crack of his whip.

Boiled to its essence, the busy plot goes down like this: Set in 1957, the film begins in Nevada with Indy and Mac (Ray Winstone) being kidnapped by the Soviets, who rough them up before introducing them to their real foe, the evil Irina Spalka (Cate Blanchett, marvelous in a clipped bob and cartoon accent).

Since what Irina wants, Irina gets, she charges Indy to get her the infamous crystal skull, which will allow her total knowledge of the universe, or something like that, by way of a bevy of alien-related hoo-ha that also will give her the power of mind control. When Indy escapes (did you think he wouldn’t?), he’s joined by those who will help him defeat Irina – the young Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf, channeling Marlon Brando in “The Wild Ones”); Indy’s former love interest, Marion (Karen Allen), who is still mad about Indy; and Professor Oxley (John Hurt), who nearly has lost his mind thanks to the crystal skull’s powers.

Sandwiched between all of this is just what you expect – plenty of sword fights, gunfights, double-crosses and chase scenes – the likes of which soon get tangled around a bizarre ending that recalls elements of Spielberg’s own “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

Taken for what it is – an earnest attempt to please the series’ fans, itself an almost impossible task given the high expectations – “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” does come through more often than not. True, it’s never all that it could have been – it would have been great to feel that something profound was at stake here – but it’s also rarely dull. Beyond that, it’s great to see Ford, looking more relaxed in the role than ever, back beneath the fedora.

Grade: B-

On DVD

THE RED VIOLIN, directed by Francois Girard, written by Don McKellar and Girard, 130 minutes, Rated R.

Spanning five countries, four languages and more than 300 years of history and cultural change, Francois Girard’s 1998 film “The Red Violin,” which will be released Tuesday in a new, remastered edition, nearly succeeds in pulling off an original and ambitious idea.

The film’s central character is not a person, but its famous, fictional musical instrument, the red violin, which it follows from 17th century Cremona, 18th century Vienna, 19th century Oxford, and finally to 20th century Shanghai and Montreal.

It is an unabashedly romantic journey that finds the acoustically perfect violin falling into the hands of the poverty stricken, the gifted elite, an orphaned boy and the politically oppressed.

The film’s art is in its structure, which incorporates elements of musical composition into its foundation. The result is a film that sings, at least for the most part.

Unfortunately, this also is a film that has the misfortune of featuring Samuel L. Jackson in a role that demands delicacy on all levels, something Jackson, who delivers his lines as if they were blunt statements, is incapable of doing, at least here. When he’s onscreen, the film’s entire tone changes, cheapening a project that longed to say profound things about music, but instead finds itself bowing under the weight of a tightly strung and stilted performance.

The good news? Jackson fouls only the film’s last quarter; the first three-quarters are left untouched by him as the film fills in the violin’s violent history.

Grade: B

WeekinRewind.com is the site for Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s blog, video podcasts, iTunes portal and archive of hundreds of movie reviews. Smith’s reviews appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.